Subcontractors-
The Guys (And Gals)
Who Will Build Your New Home!

Subcontractors are craftsmen who specialize
in one trade like carpentry or masonry. They are called “subcontractors” because
their obligation is normally to the general contractor instead
of the owner.

If
you wanted to have an office building built, you would hire a
general contractor to do the job.

In the course of home building,
he subcontracts much of the work. When you are the owner builder,
the subcontractors work for you!

DOING YOUR OWN WORK
Doing some of your own work is certainly one of the ways you can
save some money on your home.

Just look at the list of things
to be done. What can you do? Can you paint? Hang wallpaper?
Are you willing to do the necessary clean-up? Can your kids
help? Is your brother-in-law a plumber? Do you have any favors
due? It’s time to collect!

HAVE A BUILDING PARTY
How about organizing a party with friends and relatives to get
you over a big hump . . . like a “help the Jones finish
their deck party” or a “help the Jones paint their
house party.”

Often, when people know you are an owner builder, they will get behind you and give some support,
both moral and physical, that they wouldn’t normally give
to someone who is just buying a home. If this is a one time
venture for you, milk this technique for all it’s worth
- it can save you some big bucks!

However, even if you plan to do some of
your own work, you should get quotes for having it done by competent subcontractors. In
the first place, you’ll
never know exactly what you’ve saved unless you have a completed
Cost
Estimate.
Also, something may come up that prevents you from doing the work
you had planned to do. In this case, you’ll have some
subcontractors already lined up to call.

The Subcontractor List

Here is a list of work areas that might require
a subcontractor
on your job.

Surveyor

Grading

Footing

Concrete Foundation

Masonry (Concrete Block, Brick, or Stone Mason)

Stucco

Waterproofing

Termite Spray

Concrete Flat Work (Slabs, Drives, and Patios)

Framing

Roofing

Exterior Siding and Trim

Electrician

HVAC

Plumbing

Well

Septic Tank

Insulation

Drywall

Interior Trim

Hardware Installation

Ceramic Tile

Hardwood Floors

Carpet

Painting

Wall Paper

Wrought Iron

Landscaping

Gutters

Clean-Up

Of course there may be others. And you might
not need all of these.

The time to make initial contact with the
subcontractors that you’ll
be using is when you are tying down your construction costs for
your Cost Estimate.

A Challenge
You might as well know right now that here is where you’ll
have most of your problems in building your own home - in finding
and dealing with subcontractors.

For additional information about Subcontractors,
see Lessons Ten and Thirteen of our online course
Successful Home Contracting.

Click here for more on Finding Your SubcontractorsClick here for more on Working With Subcontractors